With another Madness comp coming out, l wondered which single they have released was peoples least favourite ? Mine would be Sweetest girl (lts not on the new comp, which is no bad thing as far as l think). Never liked Scritti Politti anyway, or the lead singer Green Gartside, so when Madness released the cover of Sweetest girl, l disliked it from the start. Never play it,always skip it if it comes up,on the odd cd it is on. I dont know who out of the band had the great ldea of covering it, but lm sure most of them wished they hadnt, because it doesnt appear much on cds, or in their live set, in fact l cant remember when it ever appeared in their live sets ?. At the time, if they had to do a cover, surely there was a great old ska / reggae track they could have done justice to.
So thats my least favourite Madness single, whats everybody elses ?...._________________The past is our knowledge, the present our mistake and the future we always leave too late.

Posted:
Wed Nov 29, 2017 10:57 am

TrojanToo Hot

Joined: 25 Aug 2002Posts: 2269
Location: Area 3

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I never liked Shut Up and still don't. It was released at a time when Madness could do no wrong with singles, but this one, for me, stands out as a real stinker. Madness 7 is a great album apart from this track. It just irritates the hell out of me. Apart from that Madness well and truly deserve their title as a Great Singles Band._________________Richard Eddington is innocent.

I remember my mate singing “The shittest song in all the world” which made me laugh, and we kept singing it to ourselves for days and often comment on it, now. Because of that I would opt for “Waiting for the Ghost Train”. Maybe if he’d sang “Shitting on the Ghost Train” it could have avoided its last position. To be honest I can’t even remember how it sounds, just proves how unforgettable it was.

As I stated in a post in the “New Madness Compilation” thread, for me, nearly all post Absolutely material required playing a number of times and became growers, but “Sweetest Girl” and “Waiting for the Ghost Train” were just awful, “Tomorrows Just Another day” was another that was pretty hard to get into.

Some of the newer stuff (since reformation) has been pretty poor also, but I don’t waste my time on it, I don’t have time for them to grow on me, what with so much new music available, including discovering vintage 60’s stuff on youtube.

Posted:
Wed Nov 29, 2017 6:15 pm

HarryToo Hot

Joined: 03 Jan 2009Posts: 1482
Location: London

Post subject:

I'm not especially fond of Baggy Trousers now but I enjoyed it when I was a child. I can't listen to "One Step Beyond" anymore either.
I think they should have got Elvis Costello and Jerry Dammers to produce Mad Not Mad.
The original version of Sweetest Girl (by Green) is lovely but the Madness cover is disappointing.
I think Waiting For The Ghost Train is ok - I like the trumpet solo and the lyrics are interesting but it wasn't a great one to go out on.
I think their best original song is Our House and their best cover is It Must Be Love. I think Driving In My Car would by great as a jingle / car ad but it's hard to listen to all the way through so I'd say that was their worst single. I disliked all of those Suggs singles like I'm Off On Holiday and thought albums such as Liberty of Norton Folgate were massively overrated by the critics. Are The Children Happy? by Cathal Smyth is fantastic_________________I got one art O'level it did nothing for me

Posted:
Fri Dec 01, 2017 9:35 am

TrojanToo Hot

Joined: 25 Aug 2002Posts: 2269
Location: Area 3

Post subject:

Harry wrote:

I'm not especially fond of Baggy Trousers now but I enjoyed it when I was a child. I can't listen to "One Step Beyond" anymore either.
I think they should have got Elvis Costello and Jerry Dammers to produce Mad Not Mad.
The original version of Sweetest Girl (by Green) is lovely but the Madness cover is disappointing.
I think Waiting For The Ghost Train is ok - I like the trumpet solo and the lyrics are interesting but it wasn't a great one to go out on.
I think their best original song is Our House and their best cover is It Must Be Love. I think Driving In My Car would by great as a jingle / car ad but it's hard to listen to all the way through so I'd say that was their worst single. I disliked all of those Suggs singles like I'm Off On Holiday and thought albums such as Liberty of Norton Folgate were massively overrated by the critics. Are The Children Happy? by Cathal Smyth is fantastic

That's an interesting, and in hindsight perfectly valid, view of Driving in My Car: it would have made a great jingle, but it pushes it's luck as a single.

As for Are The Children Happy? you would have to a heart of stone not to laugh at that song.

Quote from Chas:

“I feel like an artist for the first time. When I’ve played Are the Children Happy? to people – cab drivers, gangsters, hedge fund managers – they’ve all cried, they’ve all come back to me with their own family stories. It’s taught me that there is strength in vulnerability, that life is a journey. There is so much beauty all around us, you know? So much potential. When I sit on a plane and hear a child cry, I don’t hear fractious, I hear the music of life.”

l had another think on weak singles, and ld say My Girl 2 was pretty awful. Why they felt the need to do a follow up to a great single like that lve no idea. It was throw away l thought. Could have just been an album track with a different title.
Talking of jingles and car adds for Driving in my car, wasnt In the City used for car adds in Japan or something ? I seem to remember it being an add. I may be wrong though, my memory plays tricks on me sometimes nowadays ! To be honest, l always felt it would have been a better A side than Cardiac arrest.
Talking of flip sides, l always liked the B side of It must be love. Shadow on the house. I played it a lot at the time of release, and it really grew on me, still like it now._________________The past is our knowledge, the present our mistake and the future we always leave too late.

Posted:
Tue Dec 05, 2017 11:13 am

TrojanToo Hot

Joined: 25 Aug 2002Posts: 2269
Location: Area 3

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If we are talking b sides then 'Crying Shame' and 'Don't Quote Me on That' are the singles that never were, well apart from the 12" promo of the latter that is._________________Richard Eddington is innocent.

Talking of jingles and car adds for Driving in my car, wasnt In the City used for car adds in Japan or something ? I seem to remember it being an add. I may be wrong though, my memory plays tricks on me sometimes

Yes - In The City was used to promote the Honda City car_________________Bernie Rhodes Knows - Dont Argue

Posted:
Tue Dec 05, 2017 4:48 pm

bluearmy78Ska Face

Joined: 20 Dec 2012Posts: 167
Location: England

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Crying shame is a great B side, had forgotten about that. I always liked all the tracks on the Work, rest and play EP._________________The past is our knowledge, the present our mistake and the future we always leave too late.

Posted:
Thu Dec 07, 2017 10:46 am

bluearmy78Ska Face

Joined: 20 Dec 2012Posts: 167
Location: England

Post subject:

Bugger me if l didnt get the new greatest hits cd for xmas ! Dont get me wrong, l was grateful, but how many times do l need the same songs ?_________________The past is our knowledge, the present our mistake and the future we always leave too late.

Posted:
Mon Jan 01, 2018 11:34 am

mangeireGangster

Joined: 22 Mar 2005Posts: 411
Location: Dublin

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Driving in my Car, without question. Even as an 11 year old, I cringed when this was released as a follow up to 'House of Fun' and had to suffer the jokes in the school yard. In fairness, for me it was the only real glitch in their bundle of top notch singles

Posted:
Wed Jan 03, 2018 7:45 pm

TrojanToo Hot

Joined: 25 Aug 2002Posts: 2269
Location: Area 3

Post subject:

mangeire wrote:

Driving in my Car, without question. Even as an 11 year old, I cringed when this was released as a follow up to 'House of Fun' and had to suffer the jokes in the school yard. In fairness, for me it was the only real glitch in their bundle of top notch singles

Looking back the only good thing about Driving in My Car was the cameo appearance of the hick hiking Fun Boy Three compete with the Coventry destination card. It was indeed a poor choice of single. Our House was another one which I wasn't that fond of either._________________Richard Eddington is innocent.